Drinking mate is not the same as drinking tea or coffee. It implies a ritual as important as the drink itself. Generally, we have mate with our family or with friends, at home or at a park but never at a restaurante or a café. If someone invites you to have some mates, it is always a friendly excuse to relax and share some time chatting.

While having mate, we usually sit in a circle. Only one person, the “cebador”, prepares mate and gives it to one of the people in the group. When you receive it, you drink it in three or four sips. Then, you give it back to the “cebador” and he prepares a new one for the next person.

The do´s and dont´s of drinking mate

Dont´s

– Don´t say “gracias” every time you receive it or give it back because, according to the custom, when you say “gracias”, it means that you´ve had enough mates and that you don´t want to continue drinking.

– Don´t touch the bombilla or try to stir the mate. Otherwise, the flavour will spoil and the “cebador” will get angry.

– Every time you are done drinking your mate, don´t give it to the person beside you in the circle. Hand it only to the cebador.

– If you had mate, try to avoid eating fruits, yogurth or milk if you dont´want to spend the rest of the day in the bathroom.

Do´s

-Start drinking your mate as soon as you receive it. Otherwise, the flavour will be spoiled and the other people will get impatient.

– Drink it in three or four sips until there´s no more water left.

– Enjoy it! Mate is a healthy drink. Even kids and pregnant women are allowed to drink it!

When we talk, we use more than just words. We also do gestures that can be as meaningful as the words we say. Some of them are universal (such us “thumbs up”), some others mean different things in different places.

People from Buenos Aires are known for “speaking with their hands”. You might feel that we are making senseless chaotic movements but many of them are very meaningful and clear among locals.

In Buenos Aires it is not very usual to find street food like in other cities. However, there is an exception: la Costanera Sur. The Costanera Sur used to be THE Buenos Aires riverside path but nowadays you won’t see the river. Instead, you will apreciate the “Reserva ecológica” (nature reserve).

All along the Costanera, there are streetfood stands specialized in three esential elements of porteños’ diet:

Choripán

The name comes from two words put together: “chorizo” and “pan”. Chorizo is a grilled sausage made of pork and/or cow meat. “Pan” means “bread”. So, choripan is a grilled “chorizo” sandwich. The description doesn’t sound as good as it actually tastes!

Bondiola

“Bondiola” is a cut of pork meat with no fat at all. If you add lemon juice it’ s just perfect. It’s usually served as a sandwich.

Hamburguesa

What can we say about hamburguers that you don’t know? But remember that these are made of Argentinian meat.

Don’t forget to add chimichurri and salsa criolla! These sauces are as important as the choripán or the bondiola themselves. “Chimichurri” is a spicy sauce made of garlic, olive oil, oregano, vinager, parsley and red pepper. “Salsa criolla” has chopped tomato, onion, fresh red pepper, oil and vinager.

We are sorry to tell our vegetarian readers that Costanera Sur is not a vegetarian friendly place 😦

In the stands called “carritos”, there are tables and chairs where you can sit and enjoy your choripán as well as the “reserva ecológica” view. By night, it’s speacially nice.

How to get there?

You surely know how to get to Puerto Madero. You have to cross the channel (“dique” in the map below) and just walk until Costanera Sur Avenue.

We hope you enjoy Costanera as much as we do every time we go! Here, a picture of the last time we went for a choripán with our students.